Improvement in railway-switches



3 Sheets--Sheef F'. wQcnLLlNs.

Railway-Switches.' y

` Patented-0ct. 13, 1874.

INVENT n E,

' V -3 She-e'cs--Sheetl r. w. COLLINS.

Railway-Switches.

.NO 155791, Patented Oct. 13,1874.

WTNE55E5= INVERTER.

y@ A, n --VCMQDWa/W THE GRAPHIC CllPH OTOLITHSE- i PARK PLACEJLY.

UNITED S'rn'rns PATENT OFFICE.

-FRANK w. coLLINs, on MoRAvm, New YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

Speciication forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,791, dated October I3, 1874"; anplicatlon led July 21, 1874.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. COLLINS, of Moravia, in the county of Cayuga, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic 'Railway Switches; and do hereby declare that the folf lowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a switch operated by my improved mechanism. Fig. 2 is a like view of said mechanism detached from 'the rails. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the operative parts and of the front end of a a locomotive provided with mechanism for shifting the switch-rails. Figs. 4' and 5 are plan views of shaft and cams employed for moving the switch-rails, said parts-being shown in different positions. Fig. 6 is a plan view `of the lower side of the truck, showing the means employed for. operating the roller bar; and Fig. 7 .is a side elevation of the same.

Letters of like name and kind refer Jrolike parts in each of the figures;

The design of my invention is to enable a railroad-switch to be changed, as desired, by the passage of a locomotive or car over the track leading to the same; and it consists, principally, in the means employed for communicating motion from the engineer car to the cam-shaft which moves the switch-rails, substantially as and for-the purpose hereinafter shown.

It consists, further, in the means employed for moving to and securing in position'the adjustable roller-bar, substantially as is herev inafter shown and described'.

It consists, nally, in the means employed for operating the switch by hand, substantially as is hereinafter specified.

In the annexed drawings, A and A represent the rails of ainain track; B and B, thel end rails of a side track; and A' and A',

switch-rails, which are pivoted in place at one end, and attheir opposite ends are capable of being moved laterallyT until they coincide with the contiguous ends of the rails of either said main or side tracks, all in the usual Journaled within suitable bearings, C and Y 0, beneath the vforward ends of the switchrails A' and A', is agshaft, D, which at each end is provided with a crank-arm, d, while immediatelyinside of each of said bearings C is provided a'cylindrical enlargement, D', thatupon its inner end is cut away upon the linesk shown in Figs. 4 and 5, so as to form at such point a curved cam-face, d'. From the lower side of the tie-bar E, which connects the forward Vends of the switch-rails A' and A', two studs, c and c, project downward and serve as pivotal bearings for two rollers, c' `and c', the latter of which parts are relatively arranged so as to bear upon the faces d' and d' of the cams D' and D'.

`'Ihe faces d' and d' of the cams D' and D are reversed, so that when the shaft D is partially rotated in either direction one of said cams will bear against and force the contiguous roller c', and with it the switch-rails, toward the opposite side of the track, while the opposite cam will permit its roller to move freely in the direction named.

vUpon reversing the motion of the shaft the cam-face, which before receded, will be moved forward and press its roller in a lateral direction, while the opposite cam-face will recede and permit its roller to move toward its side of the track, such arrangement of parts enabling said vswitch-rails to be moved in either direction.

In order that the switch-rails may be locked in place at the limit of their motion in either direction, at each end of each cam-face d' the end of the cam D' is concentric with the shaft D, so that when the roller c' impinges upon said portion d" no lateral pressure which may be applied to said roller will cause said cam to rotate. The opposite roller d', being at the same instant in contact with the lockingface d" .of its cam, prevents movement of the switch in such direction.

The operating-shaft D is moved by the following-described mechanism: A bar, F, is

pi voted near its center to or upon each crank Y d, and at each end is in like manner connected to or with one corner of a quadrant or bell crank, G, that is pivoted upon a suitable support in a line with said crank.

To the opposite corner of each bell-crank G ispivoted one end of a rod, H, which from thence extends upward and has its opposite and has its opposite end pivoted upon a suit-4 able support. Y Y Y The levers I and I upon each vside of the track are so arranged as that when pressed down to a horizontal position they shall,.

through the intermediate mechanism, move the switch-rails toward their side of the track, and at the same time shall raise the levers upon the opposite side of said track, onepair of levers being raised as theopposite pair are depressed.

In order that the switch maybe operated from or by the engine, a bar, K,is placed transversely within suitable bearings beneath the front end of the forward truck L, and is arranged to move longitudinally within the same.

The length of the bar Kis such that when caused to project to equal distancesfrom the posite sides of the engine it will pass lbetween the levers I and I, but whenmoved longitudinally to either limit its projecting end shall come into contact with the lever upon that side and press the saine downward to a horizontal position.

The ends of the bar K are provided with rollers k, in order that the friction upon the levers I and I may be lessened, while, in order that the shock caused by striking the latter when at a high rate. of speed may be avoided, said levers are made concave, longitudinally, upon their upper sides.

As thus constructed the inclination of said levers is at lirst slight, but increases regularly, and causes the passage of an engine to move the switch with uniform speed from the instant that the roller-bar comes into contact until it leaves said levers.

Were the levers I and I straight, they would be moved their entire distance by the first contact of the roller-bar, and thereby a sudden and injurious shock would be transmitted to the connecting mechanism.

By increasing the length of the curved levers the time in which the switch will be changed for a given velocity of the engine wiil be correspondingly increased.

The roller K is moved longitudinally within its bearings by means of an L-shaped lever, M, which is pivoted to or upon the lower side of the truck-frame and has its forward end m engaged with a corresponding netch, k', that is formed at or near the center of said bar.

From the opposite end of the lever M a rod, N, extends rearward and connects the same to or with the lower end of a lever, O, which is suitably pivoted upon the truck and extends upward within convenient reach of the operators hand.

The lever O is arranged to move in a line with the track, and by moving its upper end forward or back the bar K will be correspondingly moved in a lateral direction. A quadrant, I), is attached to or upon the truck,

and, extending upward beside said lever, is provided within its contiguous face with a series of notches with which said leverengages when adjusted to position.

The switch thus operated is under complete control of the engineer by means of the handlever vO, and its connecting mechanism can cause the roller-bar K to move said switch to either side, such movement being certain, easy, and safe.

In order that the switch may be operated byhand, when necessary,without hampering it by other mechanism when it is to be operated by the engine, one end of the cam-shaft D is squared and a corresponding open end of a lever, Q, fitted upon the same.4

The lever Q is pivoted, at or near its upper end, upon a bar, R, which bar at its lower end vispivoted upon a suitable support, with its bearin g in a line with the axis of the shaft D, said lever being arranged to move upon said bar in a plane which corresponds to the line of said shaft.

As thus arranged, it'will be seen that 4by moving the upper end of the lever Q. outward its lower end, when brought into proper relative position with the end of the shaft D, will engage therewith, after which, by moving said lever and the bar R upon the axial bearing of the latter, said shaft will be rotated and the switch changed.

A spring, S, placed between the upper ends of the lever Q and bar R, throws the lower end of the former out of engagement with the shaft` D as soon as released, by which means the latter and the mechanism of the switch are left lfree to be moved by the engine.

eration by the engineer, without arresting the speed of the engine.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new 1sl. In combination with the cam-shaft D, provided with the cranks d and d, the bars F and F, the bell-cranks G and G, therods H and H, and the levers I and I, said parts being constructed to operate in the manner and for the purpose substantially as shown.

2; In combination with the longitudinallyadjustable roller-bar K, provided with the notch k', the lever M m, the rod N, the lever O, and the quadrant P p p, substantially as and for the purpose specilied.

3. In combination with the camshaft D, the lever Q, pivoted to or upon the pivoted bar R and capable of engaging with the end of said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

In testimony whereof Ihereunto set my hand this 18th day of July, 1874.

FRANK W. COLLINS.

Witnesses: i

W. lEI. DAY, A. B. HALE. 

